Choosing a Nursing Home

How do I choose a good nursing home? It’s a question I am asked at least once a week. There is a lot of good information available on choosing a nursing home for an elderly loved one. An article in the Savvy Seniors suggests calling local agencies to find out the latest information on the staffing, health inspections, and quality of care. You can research any negative reports about the facility through the Office of the Ombudsman for the Elderly. Get a list of the facilities in your area and visit several facilities. This will give you insight into more subjective things such as the decor, activities, size and configuration of the rooms. The most criteria to me is how close the facility is to where you live. Is it convenient for you and other family members to get to? Is it close enough to your home or your work that you could stop by for a few minutes a day every day, or several times a week? The quality of the care your loved one will receive will often depend on how often you, or other family members visit.